State cancels Class 12 exam, forms panel to decide on awarding marks to students
After days of holding meetings and gathering feedback from various stakeholders, the Tamil Nadu government on Saturday announced cancellation of Class 12 State board examinations and said a committee would be set up to decide on awarding marks to students.
Late on Saturday, Chief Minister MK Stalin announced that though the government is firm on its stand that only marks obtained in Class 12 public exams should be considered as eligibility criteria for higher education, the exams are being cancelled this year based on the suggestions received from various quarters, mainly doctors, that deferring the exams further would affect the mental health of students. Though people from various walks had opined in favour of and against conducting public exams, everyone was determined on the physical and mental health of students being protected, the CM added, referring to various consultations organised by School Education Minister Mahesh Poyyamozhi during the last few days. The CM also quoted experts as advising that allowing large numbers of students, who are not vaccinated, to converge (for exams) could lead the spread of the virus.
A committee chaired by the principal secretary of the school education department and consisting of higher education secretary, vice-chancellor of Madras University, school headmaster/headmistress would be formed to decide as to how marks could be awarded to the students. The CM also asserted that all higher education (college) admissions would be done based of the marks awarded thus.
Earlier, in the meeting of political parties chaired by Poyyamozhi, several parties favoured the conduct of board exams. BJP, CPI, CPM and PMK were the parties that pressed for cancellation of the exams. Significantly, DMK representatives in the meeting favoured the conducuct of the exams on a different date. Former AIADMK minister KA Sengottaiyan also wanted the exams held after COVID cases reduce. Makkal Needhi Maiam founder Kamal Hassan proposed conducting the exams after vaccinating all the students.